


hands that destroy, hands that protect

by aliaaaaaa



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 00:36:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6589570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliaaaaaa/pseuds/aliaaaaaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>toye had a hard time conveying his feelings towards luz using words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hands that destroy, hands that protect

**Author's Note:**

> for my eternal starshines bbs, [ethereal-liebgott](http://ethereal-liebgott.tumblr.com/) & [aggressive-puppy](http://aggressive-puppy.tumblr.com/) because of their love for luz and toye.

It started as comfort.

The whispered words, the intoxicating touches, the heady kisses, that led to the moment where they tumbled into the bed together; a mess pile of dark hairs and wandering hands and pressing lips and of pleased moans and of pleasured groans and of breathy laughter.

They were in a war after all – where comfort didn’t belong in the front line – where comfort was sacred that he took, took, took, wringing it dry without stopping to think about the consequences.

But Luz was generous, never once questioning him, never once demanding more from him. Maybe that was why it was easy to brush the guilt away when Luz so readily welcomed him into his arms, with his lopsided smile that blinded him; where he felt so warm and so safe amidst the bloody and the gore of the war.

It started as comfort.

Then it turned into affection.

When you spent time long enough with someone, when you could read their body language, when you could decipher the ticks on their jaw and twitching under their eyes, when you could hear the unspoken meaning from the words that came out from their mouth – you knew that you were into deep.

It was like that with Luz.

When he woke up one day with Luz sprawling on top of him, pressing his body so close that there was no space in between them; when he looked into Luz’s serene sleepy face and felt something caught in his chest; something like fondness and protectiveness and tenderness rapidly expanding, expanding, expanding, filling his once hollowed heart; he knew he was too into deep, too lost with Luz.

And he didn’t mind that he felt like drowning from the raging storm of feelings inside him; pulling him into the strong current, because when Luz softly blinked his eyes at him, his eyelashes beautifully fanning his cheeks; he could breathe easier, the storm inside his chest receded, and in that moment he knew that he would be forever buoyed by George Luz.

But of course, he was a man with so few words to offer; a man who didn’t know how to express his feelings properly.

He was Joe Toye; a man with the iron fist, quick jabs and painful punches. His hands were made to break things, his hands were made to destroy things. Everything he touched would crumble in the blink of an eye.

But for Luz, he would learn to be gentle, for Luz he would learn to be kind, for Luz he would learn to convey his affection.

*

“Here,” Toye said, handed an already lit cigarette to his shivering Luz, huddled outside of the barracks looking at the dark night sky.

It was cold, the rain had only just stopped pouring a few moments ago, leaving the ground muddy and wet; but he knew Luz loved the cold weather, how soothing it was to feel the cold gentle wind caressing his skin.

“Thanks,” Luz murmured softly, offering his mouth for Toye to put the cigarette between the lips and then he smiled mischievously around the cigarette when Toye brushed his upper lip gently with his calloused fingers before standing close next to him.

“C’mere,” Toye said, dropping his arm around Luz’s shoulder before pulling him closer, their shoulders brushing, their hips touching, and Luz felt Toye’s warmth seeping through his clothes and settled under his skins; making him sigh in contentment.

“I don’t know why you like this goddamn cold weather so much, George. It’s freezing out here,” Toye groaned audibly when a gust of cold wind blasting at them and Luz moved closer, slipping his arm around Toye’s waist; trailing the sliver of skin underneath his jacket.

“I don’t like the weather, Joe–,” Luz said, blowing the smoke and watching it disappeared, letting the moment stretched out and he grinned when Toye was looking at him, his eyes dark and dangerous and his mouth red from the cold.

“–But I love it when you always come outside to make sure that I’m okay,” Luz added, grinning when Toye rolled his eyes.

“You lil shit,” Toye grumbled without any heat in his voice and the mean words were marred by the fact that he leaned down to kiss Luz squarely on the lips, breathing in the smoke from Luz’s mouth into his lungs; feeling them catching in his throat.

He felt Luz’s smiling against his lips, felt the wet of Luz’s tongue brushing his lightly before he pinned Luz against the wall; kissing him like he was stealing the air from Luz’s lungs.

When they parted, Luz was grinning so wide, licking his lips and brushing their chapped lips together; his fingers cradling Toye’s neck.

“Knew you care,” Luz whispered, pressing their temples together, breathing in each other, feeling so warm despite the cold weather.

Toye didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything because the words won’t come out from his throat.

But he didn’t deny it.

*

Luz looked worn down.

He didn’t say much when the men were telling stories from their jumps. The horror that they had seen along the way while walking miles and miles in search of Sainte-Mere-Eglise.

He looked so worn down that Toye was about ready to punch anything to make himself feel better but that won’t make his Luz smile.

He asked a few blank papers from Webster’s thick leather journal and snatched a couple of cigarettes from Lieb’s hand ignoring Lieb’s bitching and made his way to where Luz was sitting; under the tree looking at nothing.

“Here,” Toye said, giving the already lit cigarette to Luz and the smaller man took it gently from his hand, exhaling it greedily.

Toye sat next to him, their knees knocking against each other.

“Mind helping me out?” Toye asked, licking his suddenly dry lips and coughing slightly from the emotions bubbling inside him.

“What?” Luz asked, looking at Toye for the first time since he arrived there.

He knew that Luz was upset with him, knew that Luz was angry with him.

The night before they jumped into Normandy, they spent the night together on the cramped bunk, moving slowly together so as not to rouse the others from their sleep.

Luz was having a difficult time keeping his voice down but he tried; muffling his moans on Toye’s skins, mouthing and nibbling and biting his flesh hard when all he wanted was to scream in earnest from the pleasure.

Toye held him closer, holding his hand and clasping their fingers as they moved together again and again and again; when it became too much for them, when it became too intense; he heard Luz whispered, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you,’ into his skin and Toye came like that, with Luz’s declaration of love for him.

But once again, he couldn’t say anything – the words were so heavy on his tongue – making it difficult for him to speak but he kissed Luz hard, pouring his emotions into Luz in hope that the other man would somehow understood his feelings.

And Luz did.

But there was sadness lurking in his usually shiny eyes, clouding his face and Toye hated himself for not being able to just fucking say the words.

When Luz thought that he had drifted to sleep, he heard him murmured, ‘I know you care because I see it in your eyes but fuck, Joe, I might die tomorrow before I even hear you say it back to me.’

And now here they were, with him feeling nervous for the first time in his life.

“Help me write a letter home,” Toye said simply, leaning forward with arms on his knees, looking at Luz’s annoyed face.

And Luz dutifully wrote whatever that he was saying.

And then.

And then.

“–I have this friend that I’ve known for two years since Toccoa. He’s a funny guy, always making the others laughing with his stupid jokes. Sometimes he makes terrible impressions on other people. I don’t know what is it about him that makes me feel at ease when I’m with him, but he makes me calm. I am so smitten with him that I couldn’t tell him how I feel but I know I’ve fallen in love with him.”

And Luz stopped writing, gripping the pencil hard in his hand, before he looked up to watch Toye’s face with a slacken mouth, the cigarette dropped to the muddy ground, forgotten.

Toye bit his lower lip, knowing very well that Luz would scream at him. But then Luz did something unexpected, he laughed.

He laughed and laughed until his eyes were tearing up before he broke out in a sob.

“Fuck Joe, you’re not allowed to drop this on me so suddenly,” Luz said wetly, blubbering the last few words into his palm.

Toye moved closer to put his arm around Luz’s shoulder, stroking his arm in comfort. If people looked at them, they would only see a friend comforting another friend who was experiencing traumatic jump experience for the first time.

But he caught Lieb’s eyes lingering on them and he saw the way Lieb smiled knowingly before he turned around to talk to Web.

“C’mon, you’re making me feel bad for making you cry. I thought you’d be fucking elated that I’m declaring my undying love for you,” Toye tried to sound annoyed but it ended sounding wobbly and nervous and Luz probably heard it too because he wiped his eyes and nose and smiled through the tears at him.

“You’re so full of shit, Joe. Making me write down your feelings instead of telling me yourself,” Luz whined, body pressing close to Toye in the broad daylight and he felt free.

“You know I’m not good with words, George,” Toye murmured, brushing his fingers lightly on Luz’s hand, wishing that he could kiss the other man.

“I wish I could kiss you right now,” Toye told Luz and the smaller man laughed, gripping Toye’s hand firmer.

“I wish I could kiss you right now and then tell you that I love you that I’ve been in love with you since Toccoa that I realized this when we were in Aldbourne,” Toye said, his eyes tracing Luz’s happy face, grinning at him so widely.

“You could tell me now,” Luz suggested, head tilting to the side, smiling softly at Toye that it made his heart fluttered madly in his chest.

“But I wanna kiss you,” Toye said sulkily, trying very hard not to crack a smile when Luz looked annoyed.

“Tell me now, Joe,” Luz demanded, his lips pouting.

“I love you, George,” Toye breathed out softly, eyes never leaving Luz’s face. “So much,” he added and Luz smiled shyly at him, his eyes turning soft as he brushed his own lips with his fingers, then brushed Toye’s lips with said fingers, pressing them gently, softly like it was their first kiss.

What started as comfort, turned into affection that dissolved into love; and Toye felt his heart burst into a million confetti of emotions; relief, happy, content.

He held Luz protectively, fingers stroking the soft flesh on his wrist. He was Joe Toye, with hands that could destroy everything that he touch, but here, holding George Luz gently in his arms, he vowed to protect this man with all of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> first posted on [webgottrash](http://webgottrash.tumblr.com/post/142998311147/hands-that-destroy-hands-that-protect)


End file.
